Teletubbies
by F8WUZL8
Summary: The Master's mental state is worsening.  He becomes upset when watching a children's show, and the Doctor is there to calm him down.


**Just a short AU bit I wrote about the teletubbies scene from LotTL. I don't own anything :)**

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><p>The Doctor is looking for the Master. They're on the TARDIS, it seems like they've been in the TARDIS forever, because the Master is unstable.<p>

Yesterday, the Master tried to shoot the Doctor with a laser. The TARDIS stopped him, of course, but a cold chill had run up and down the Doctor's spine because the Doctor had been staring up the wrong end of the gun to the Master's eyes and that was_ terrifying_. The day before, the Master had kicked the wall so hard that he was limping for more than a few hours. The day before that the Master had screamed at the top of his lungs for two hours straight.

So the Doctor is looking for the Master, and he's afraid of what he'll find. Yes, the Doctor has control now, but he isn't sure how long that control will last.

He hasn't actually_ spoken_ to the Master for two weeks.

And they've only had one meal together in all of three months.

"Master?" the Doctor says quietly, cautiously. Because here is the Master, cross-legged in front of the television (tuned to no channel in particular, with three six-foot stacks of DVDs piled next to it). The room is dark.

And Teletubbies is on.

The Doctor swallows and then steps into the room, eyes trained on the Master. His back is to the Doctor. He seems to be rocking back and forth a bit, but it's hardly noticeable. Well, it would hardly be noticeable under normal circumstances.

One of the creatures on the television does something inane, and the Master lets out sort of a half-laugh.

The Doctor, once he is within a few feet of the Master, finally sees the Master's face. The Master was... entranced. Smiling. Really smiling.

"Master?"

The smile fades into mild surprise, and then the calm and cold that the Doctor is used to seeing in the Master. "Hello."

"Hello." replies the Doctor.

"This-" the Master pauses, his voice deepens, his exterior calms. He looks to the screen. "This planet is amazing."

"Master, I know you know that that is a fictional television show for human infants."

"Right." mutters the Master. He leans forward to jam a finger into the power button. The screen turns off and they are thrown into darkness.

"...Master."

The Master doesn't say anything. He looks to the side, and then to the Doctor, and then again to the side. "It's just so..."

"...so...?" prompts the Doctor.

"Nothing." The Master stands up and begins to exit the room as quickly as he can.

He stops at the Doctor's voice, "Master."

"What _is it_, Doctor?"

"You can keep watching if you want to. I was just..."

"Curious." snaps the Master. "You were just curious!" And here the Master is going off on one of his senseless fits, and the Doctor can tell, and so he steps forward to pull on the Master's shoulder. The Master's reaction is immediate, he freezes, becomes like stone under the Doctor's hand. He doesn't push the Doctor away; they've been in this situation before.

"What is it, Master?" The Doctor has his pity voice on and the Master wants to slap him.

"It's just- it's just..." The Master's left hand forms a fist. The Doctor can see it building up in the Master's system like a volcano, building and building until he finally cries out "Why didn't we have that?" like a fire.

"Why didn't we have... Teletubbies?"

"Why didn't we get our own programming, age-appropriate activities... we were never... we never had... and now we never_ will!_" The Master is shaking.

"Do you want to watch with me, Master?"

"_No_...no... no, I don't..." the Master sobs. And the Doctor leads him back to the television and sits him down next to him before tapping the power button with his shoe.

The Master's face is all red and sad-looking, and he's shaking, and for the first time ever the Doctor is holding him and rubbing his back and pointing out that "well, Po is alright but he's always identified with Tinky Winky..." The Doctor thinks that maybe the Master will be okay.

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><p><strong>Reviews are greatly appreciated :)<strong>


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